Sat | 05.29.2021 | 6:00 PM

Forty-one-year-old Evangeline Dela Rosa and her family often experience the brunt of strong winds and floods during the typhoon season. They often seek shelter at a nearby school that serves as a temporary evacuation center.

Representatives of PAGCOR and the local government of Limay, Bataan officially mark the start of construction for the PAGCOR-funded Multi-Purpose Evacuation Center in Barangay Townsite, Limay, Bataan during the project’s groundbreaking ceremony last May 27, 2021.

PAGCOR’s Assistant Vice President for Community Relations and Services Ramon Stephen Villaflor (4th from left) turns over the check worth P25 million to Limay Mayor Nelson David (5th from left). The amount represented the first tranche of PAGCOR’s P50 million grant for the construction of a two-storey evacuation center building. Also in photo are PAGCOR’s Senior Manager II Maria Eliza Cruz (left) and acting ABC President Domingo Ramirez (right).

The house of Edna Silvestre’s family in Candaba, Pampanga is perched on stilts as their town is often plagued by flood during the typhoon season.

The site in Barangay Pasig, Candaba, Pampanga where the PAGCOR-funded Multi-Purpose Evacuation Center will soon rise.

CANDABA, Pampanga – Every time the rainy season approaches, many locals here brace for the worst. Being a catch basin of floodwater from nearby communities during the typhoon season, flooding has become a perennial problem in Candaba that some residents, particularly in Barangay San Agustin, have used bamboo stilts to elevate their wooden houses and avoid being inundated. Also, many of the residents have small bancas, which they use whenever they need to evacuate.

Such is the case of 38-year-old Edna Silvestre, whose family is regularly moved to safer ground during typhoons. Often, they are temporarily housed in the municipality’s trade center which serves as a makeshift evacuation center for Candaba’s locals. Silvestre’s constant fear during such times is the possibility that her small children be swept away by raging flood.

“Dito po sa amin kasi mataas ang baha. Minsan sumasakay kami ng bangka kapag umuulan at kapag may bagyo. Kapag malakas din po ang alon, ‘yun pong maliit na bangka ang ginagamit naming mag-anak kapag nag-e-evacuate na po,” she said.

In response to the plight of Candaba locals, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) approved the release of P50 million funding for the construction of a two-storey Multi-Purpose Evacuation Center (MPEC).

Designed to withstand wind velocity of up to 340 kilometers per hour, the MPEC building is equipped with comfort rooms, kitchen, and lactation rooms for mothers with young children

Aside from Candaba, the municipality of Limay, Bataan also received P50 million grant for a two-storey MPEC building. The groundbreaking ceremonies for both MPEC projects were respectively held on May 27 and 28, 2021.

Candaba Mayor Rene Maglanque extended his gratitude to PAGCOR for approving the P50 million grant that will be used to fund the construction of a two-storey evacuation center in the town’s Barangay Pasig. “Maraming salamat sa PAGCOR dahil naalala ninyo ang bayan ng Candaba dahil talagang kami ang unang tinatamaan ng pagbaha dito sa Pampanga,” he said.

Meanwhile, the municipality of Limay, Bataan is likewise not immune to natural calamities such as typhoons. Situated by the coast, strong winds and flooding are common to residents whenever disasters strike.

Mayor Nelson David expressed his gratitude to PAGCOR for the P50 million grant to construct the two-storey evacuation center in Limay’s Barangay Townsite. “Ang maipapangako lang namin ay hindi lamang namin ito mamahalin at aalagaan. Nandito ang tatak ng PAGCOR habang itong building na ito ay nakatayo. Isang karangalang pinagmamalaki namin ang tulong na ito,” he said.

Since the launch of the project last November 2020, PAGCOR has released over P663 million for the construction of MPECs in various parts of the country. A total of 27 Multi-Purpose Evacuation Centers have been funded by PAGCOR so far.

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